This invention relates generally to flood water control devices for enclosed areas below base flood plain levels, and more particularly, to flood water control devices for venting enclosed spaces within a foundation, garage, foyer, an entry, basement or other such area.
To help limit flooding damage, several building code organizations and the federal government have promulgated regulations that mandate that buildings with enclosed spaces located below base flood plain levels, such as crawl spaces, must provide for automatic equalization of interior and exterior hydrostatic forces caused by flooding fluids such as water. According to these regulations, flooding fluids must be permitted to enter and exit the enclosed spaces freely. In particular, many of these regulations require builders to install a number of vents in the enclosed spaces. For example, federal regulations require flood venting for all new construction in flood-prone areas and where renovations to an existing structure exceed fifty percent of the value of the property.
In addition to the regulations mentioned above, good construction practice embraces the use of vents which can be opened during warmer months to allow for ventilation to permit moisture to escape from crawl spaces, while retaining the ability to close during colder months to prevent the circulation of cold air around exposed plumbing in crawl spaces. Typically, the use of screening and louvers is necessary to achieve both the warm weather and cold weather requirements of proper venting and is required by at least some building codes for openings in foundation walls. As a result, a flood vent must be able to automatically remove the louver and screen barrier when confronted with free-flowing, flooding fluids.
Generally, a wide variety of devices have been developed which may be utilized to provide pressure relief from both liquid and gaseous forces. With respect to gas pressure relief devices, U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,239, issued Aug. 1, 1972 to Burtis for PRESSURE EQUALIZING VALVE, discloses a device to relieve overpressure and underpressure in the opening and closing of a door of a refrigerated space. U.S. Pat. No. 2,774,116, issued Dec. 18, 1956 to Wolverton for DOUBLE ACTING RELIEF VALVE, U.S. Pat. No. 2,798,422, issued Jul. 9, 1957 to Bourque for AIR RELIEF MEANS FOR DOORS, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,123,867, issued Mar. 10, 1964 to Combs for VESTIBULE PRESSURE EQUALIZER, relate to the equalization of differential air pressure experienced in the swinging of one door relative to another door. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 2,105,735, issued Jan. 18, 1938 to Hodge for PRESSURE RELEASING APPARATUS, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,213, issued Sep. 26, 1978 to Kamezaki for AIR PRESSURE CONTROL APPARATUS FOR A HOT OR COLD STORAGE CHAMBER, teach methods to release pressure in closed chambers resulting from changing temperatures within the chamber. In particular, the Kamezaki apparatus utilizes a swinging damper hinged at the top of an enclosing frame. Nevertheless, neither the Kamezaki apparatus nor other inventions contemplate the use of a vented damper able to relieve pressure resulting from fluid flow.
Correspondingly, several devices have been developed which provide relief from overpressure resulting from the flow of water and other liquids. U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,296, issued Sep. 14, 1982 to Langeman for IRRIGATION DITCH GATE, describes a gate for an irrigation ditch, which during normal conditions through the use of tensioned springs, maintains flood gates in a closed position, but upon flood conditions, allows for the gates to open. U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,863, issued Feb. 24, 1976 to Robison for BASEMENT SUMP CONSTRUCTION, discloses a basement drain containing a trap for the prevention of back flow of flood water. U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,913, issued Nov. 20, 1979 to Schliesser for ANIMAL GUARD FOR FIELD PIPE, relates to an invention which, while allowing for the free-flow exit of debris carrying effluents from an open pipe end, prevents animal entry into the pipe. Still, none of the aforementioned devices contemplate the integration of a liquid flow control device with a temperature controlled ventilation system.
Presently, several patents disclose methods for ventilating enclosed foundation spaces. U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,920, issued Mar. 15, 1994 to Vagedes for LOUVERED BASEMENT VENT, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,701, issued Jan. 30, 1996 to Schedegger et al. for PLASTIC FOUNDATION VENT, embody louvered basement vents which can be manually adjusted to limit air flow in colder temperatures and to maximize air flow in hotter conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,572, issued Oct. 24, 1995 to Waltz et al. for FOUNDATION VENTILATOR, discloses merely a one-piece molded plastic foundation ventilator without louvers. The Waltz invention, however, contemplates the manual use of hinged doors to regulate air flow through to the foundation. U.S. Pat. No. 2,754,747, issued Jul. 17, 1956 to Bertling for AIR REGISTER OR LOUVER, embodies a hinged, louvered door designed to facilitate the maintenance of the screen behind the louvered door. Nonetheless, the louvers are designed to be operated manually by the user.
All of the aforementioned foundation ventilators contain screening to prevent small animals and other pests from gaining access to the enclosed area, as required by the model building codes for openings in foundation walls. Significantly, none of the aforementioned foundation ventilators will act as a pressure relief valve in response to the ebb and flow of flooding fluids. Furthermore, few provide for the automatic adjustment of louvers in a flood gate in response to increasing or decreasing temperature so as to prevent either the rotting of the elements of the structure""s foundation or the freezing of pipes within the enclosed space. Accordingly, the prior art has not provided an integrated apparatus that automatically ventilates an enclosed space of a foundation, allows for the relief of fluid pressure on either side of the vent and prevents small animals and other pests from entering the enclosed space.
The subject invention has advantages over all current air vents now used and provides a novel and nonobvious opening for the entry and exit of flooding fluids such as water. The low-maintenance flood vent can be installed in new and existing crawl spaces and foundations and can remain in use year round. These vents have particular utility in areas designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as flood prone areas. When installed, the vent will allow for the free passage of air ventilation in warm temperatures and the temperature controlled louvers will close fully in colder temperatures.
Also, the louvered panel will be screened to prevent penetration by small animals and other pests and will operate like a pivotally connected gate. The panel can be secured in the closed position by a latching mechanism that senses the height and the direction of the flow of fluid surrounding the vent and releases the panel at a predetermined height.
A vent in accordance with an inventive arrangement can remain open for regular air ventilation in warm weather conditions, can close to block off air flow during cold weather conditions and can, at any time, open to enable the passage of flooding fluid into and out of the crawl space.
The present invention relates to a flood gate. The flood gate includes a frame defining a fluid passageway therethrough and a door pivotally mounted in the frame for rotation between a plurality of open positions to permit flow of fluid therethrough. The flood gate also includes at least one latching mechanism for holding the door in the closed position. The latching mechanism senses the fluid force acting on the door and releases the door when the fluid force meets a preset level.
In one aspect of the invention, the latching mechanism include a float to determine the level of the fluid force. In addition, the float can be disposed within the door. In this arrangement, the door can contain at least one aperture for permitting the fluid force to act upon the float.
In another arrangement, the flood gate can have a sensing and releasing device which can sense the fluid force acting on the float and can release the door when the fluid acting on the float meets the preset level. In addition, the frame can define an open slot adjacent the float. Further, the sensing and releasing device can be a pin extending from the float, and the pin can be adapted to be inserted into the open slot. Positioning the pin within the open slot can prevent the door from pivoting.
In another arrangement, the open slot can include an opening in which the position of the opening determines the preset level. When the fluid force acting upon the float meets the preset level, the pin can exit the opening of the open slot and the pin can be unconstrained by the open slot. This can enable the door to rotate between the open positions. In addition, the frame can define a channel which can enable passage of the pin through the frame when the door rotates between the open positions. In another aspect, the latching mechanism can reset the door to the closed position when the fluid force acting on the door drops below the preset level.
In another arrangement, the flood gate can include at least one stake for attaching the flood gate to a structure. Each stake can include a longitudinal member and an attachment portion. In another aspect, the frame can define a tine slot for receiving the longitudinal member in which the longitudinal member can be insertable into the tine slot in one direction and resistant to removal in an opposite direction.
In yet another aspect, the frame can define opposing door slots in which the door slots include opposing door pins respectively positionable within the opposing door slots. Each door slot can include a bottom which can define a resting vertical and horizontal position of the door pins upon insertion into the door slots. In addition, each door slot can include a door slot opening which can be positioned above the resting vertical and horizontal position. Also, each door pin can be respectively pivotable within the door slot.
In another aspect of the invention, the door can include a ventilation opening, an automatic louver assembly for controlling air flow through the ventilation opening and a screen covering the ventilation opening. In one arrangement, the automatic louver assembly can open and close in response to ambient temperatures. The automatic louver assembly can have at least one louver, a temperature sensitive actuating device and a member connecting the louver to the temperature sensitive actuating device.
Another aspect of the invention includes a bracket for preventing the flood door from opening when the structure in which the flood door is mounted, such as an overhead garage door, is rotated or moved from a generally vertical position to a generally horizontal position. The bracket operates by preventing the locking mechanism from releasing and allowing the flood door to open. In one embodiment, the bracket is an arm that is rotatably mounted to the flood door or frame. As the frame of the flood door is rotated with the structure in which the flood door is mounted, such as an overhead garage door, the bracket rotates around a pivot point and prevents the float from moving. Prohibiting the float from moving prevents a locking pin from being removed from an open slot, and therefore, prevents the flood door from opening.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after review of the following drawings and detailed description of the disclosed embodiments.